Have you ever felt scared when you take on the role of your character?

[CheertheDead]

Tbh, I am not in my best mental state lately.

I think that helped with understanding my characters’ depression better.

I make several deep dives into the situation of my characters. I tried to map out a good plot for them later on. This means I have to live through their lowest points, their depression, their hopelessness, their suicidal tendency.

I want to make feelings that are as authentic as possible.

I think it did a number on me. I somehow feel a lil bit scared. Have you experienced something similar?

 

[Zirrboy]

Make it count before you off yourself.

In all seriousness though: No matter how conductive it may be to getting across what you want, if you can't put it away with the draft, stop.
Do other hobbies, talk to friends and family. No guaranteed solution, but unless writing is already your escape its unlikely to make it worse.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

No.

 

[Deleted member 87036]

Hmm... I think I am kind of afraid of answering that question, because I really don’t want to acknowledge that feeling. I'm really scared of being worthless, I think.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Nope. I already have emotional detachment. Doesn't mean I can't view and recreate emotions like a psychopath.

 

[Nirokuro]

Tbh, I am not in my best mental state lately.

I think that helped with understanding my characters’ depression better.

I make several deep dives into the situation of my characters. I tried to map out a good plot for them later on. This means I have to live through their lowest points, their depression, their hopelessness, their suicidal tendency.

I want to make feelings that are as authentic as possible.

I think it did a number on me. I somehow feel a lil bit scared. Have you experienced something similar?

don't try to experience it too much as, no matter what it is hard to get the same circumstances as a character, it is way better to read other novels about similar characters, and taking notes of different actions and reactions of them to the similar situation, hope this will be useful for you

 

[tiaf]

I do. But rather than scared, I feel like a sad bundle of wool.

I'm "lucky" since my characters misery is different from my irl misery, so I can call it over easily.

 

[RisRizRitz]

I don't know how exactly you're going about it but fantasy play as your character should make you sympathize with them as you'd pity them, which should be cathartic, which would feel good.

 

[AliceShiki]

Just be careful with it, and allow yourself to give up on that character/story if need be for the sake of your own mental health.

Some years back I was in a pretty rough spot mentally speaking, and my roleplay character was in a horrible point of her life, where everything was crumbling down and she was mega depressive.

Well, I was able to recover from my own circumstances, but I had set my character's circumstances in a way that it wasn't easy at all to get her to recover... It felt like a gigantuous task that would take tens of thousand of words to overcome.

And it just... Hurt. Roleplaying with her hurt. I can't roleplay (or write) without entering the character properly, so it just hurt me... It felt bad to me to enter that character again.

Eventually I just gave up on her and stopped playing. I just couldn't endure being her anymore. It was way too painful. Too depressing. I didn't want those feelings anymore.

That was what I decided upon because my character's mental state was really bad and it was affecting me badly and there was no easy way out of it... If your circumstances are different or it doesn't affect you as much and the like, then it's fine to keep going, just... Pay attention to yourself. If your character's pain is actively harming you, then it might be better to give up on said character. You're more important than your stories. Prioritize yourself.

 

[Erysion]

You all deserve rest, love, I and we.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

A little, but I've pulled myself out of dark places often enough to embrace the journey.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Never. Because I'm a man and men only have three feelings: Hatred, Horny, and Hungry. I would argue that Horny and Hungry might be the same feeling. I dunno. I'm a man, we don't think about it. We leave crap like that up to philosophers. I suppose to simulate depression what you would do is show me the boobies, then... take away the boobies? Hrrmm... Yes. That Idea makes me even more dead inside than my usual amount of internalized necrosis of the soul.

Now if you will excuse me I have a lot of alcohol to consume while listening to country music: The music of pain.

 

[Deleted member 57675]

Perhaps.